Dear editor:
The Aug. 29 edition of The Sentinel-Record carried a front-page story under the headline "Westerman touts forestry bill at ORVA gathering." The article recounts Republican Congressman Bruce Westerman's speech to the meeting of the Ouachita River Valley Association. Among his remarks, Congressman Westerman decried certain spending priorities of the federal government and complained about Congress "kicking the can down the road." As an example, quoting the article, "Westerman said wildfires burning federal lands in the western U.S. are the result of litigious environmental groups enabled by the Equal Access to Justice Act." The act allows plaintiffs in lawsuits against the government to recover attorney fees if they prevail in court.
Westerman stated: "While this is going on, the forests are continuing to grow, getting overstocked and fuel loads are increasing. We look out west and the west is on fire. You can see ever since these frivolous lawsuits have been occurring, the number of fires has been increasing."
As it happens, my brother and his wife live on the shores of Lake Chelan, just outside the Wenatchee National Forest, in Washington State. Some of the worst fires mentioned by the congressman have been burning for months in the area where Gary and Diane have lived for many years. They have been evacuated once, but firefighters were successful in keeping an approaching fire a couple hundred yards from their house. However, in the process, at least 10 homes were destroyed. In a recent telephone conversation, my brother told me he watched a fire blow up from a dry thunderstorm lightning strike just down lake from them and consume several homes. So far they have been spared. Diane remains in Wenatchee, some 40 miles away, with her cousin, while Gary stands guard at their home. The only other people present are firefighters, also keeping watch.
When I talk with my brother, he speaks, first of all, of the eastern Washington topography with its scrub desert, brush, big pine trees and sandy soil. He then talks of drought, extraordinarily hot temperatures, extremely low humidity, wind and dry thunderstorms with lightning starting new fires. He has never once cited, as Congressman Westerman did speaking 2,000 miles and five states away, "litigious" environmental groups filing "frivolous" lawsuits as the cause of the fires. Isn't it interesting how the perspective of an inside the Beltway, agenda-driven, Washington politician differs from that of those who struggle each day amidst the conflagration to save themselves and their homes?
Steve Rittenmeyer
Hot Springs Village
Editorial on 09/01/2015